Читать книгу Home To You - Cheryl Wolverton - Страница 9

Dakota “Cody” Ryder sat next to the ditch, watching as his best friend, Meghan O’Halleran, dug some more mud out of the slimy wet pit and slapped it into the pan she had in front of her. It didn’t matter that Cody wasn’t supposed to get muddy. Sitting with his best friend took precedence over that. Meghan’s mom had told her they were moving and so Cody was trying to cheer Meghan up by sitting with her.

“Cody, will you promise me something?”

Dakota was only in first grade, just like Meghan, but he knew what promises were and how important they could be. Last year the two friends had spit in each other’s hands and shook, agreeing to protect each other when they started school.

Had they not made that promise, Meghan would have ended up with her hair cut by Michael the bully, and Dakota would have ended up having to work with silly Sally who laughed all the time. Meghan had bailed him out of that one. Big time. Just as he had protected her.

So yes, he knew how important his word was now as Meghan solemnly asked him for another promise.

Her blond hair was pulled up into pigtails, curling tightly, and the freckles across her nose danced as she wriggled it up.

The two friends had helped each other out so many times…but, well, sometimes girls did funny things. So, even though he wanted to promise Meghan the moon, he hesitated as he watched Meghan carefully finish her mud pie. If he promised, he’d have to keep it—no matter what. And if she wanted him to eat that mud pie—

“What do you want me to promise, Meghan?” Cody rested his hands on his crossed legs and waited, trepidation growing as he watched her smooth the top of the pie.

“Promise me we’ll always be friends, no matter what.”

Relief wilted him. He nodded. “Sure, Meghan!”

“I’m serious. I really mean it, Cody. I want us to always be friends.”

“Forever,” Cody reassured her. He was so relieved that she didn’t want him to eat the pie that he hurried to reassure her. “If you ever need me, I’ll be here—even if you want to move in and be my sister.”

To Cody that was as good of a promise as he could imagine. He had an older sister and he knew how awful it could be.

Meghan’s green eyes peered into his. “Really? Even that? That’s great, but I wouldn’t want to be your sister.”

Cody had shared several stories about his sister with Meghan, and his friend had sometimes caught the wrath of Susan herself, so she knew exactly what Cody was promising.

He nodded. “I promise.”

Meghan’s lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

Suddenly scared, Dakota wondered what he’d said to upset her, until she lunged forward and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Cody! You’re the bestest friend ever.”

He wrinkled his own nose in disgust. Why’d girls always have to hug?

Then he felt something wet and looked down.

The mud pie was in his lap.

Meghan pulled back and cried in dismay. “I wanted to share it with you before we moved!”

As Cody stared at the mess in his lap and thought of the coming punishment for getting dirty, he could only think he was still getting off a lot easier than he would have if he’d been forced to eat that mud pie.